Sport Balls Having Seam Reinforcing Strips

Abstract

A sport ball may include a casing having a plurality of panels forming an external exposed surface of the ball, wherein adjacent panels abut one another at seams. A substantial majority of the seams may each be formed by a first panel having a first edge and a second panel having a second edge abutting the first edge of the first panel at an interface, and a reinforcing strip affixed to a first internal surface of the first panel with a first thermal bond and to a second internal surface of the second panel with a second thermal bond, the reinforcing strip extending across the interface between the first panel and the second panel.

1 . A sport ball comprising:
 a casing having a plurality of panels forming an external exposed surface of the ball;   wherein adjacent panels abut one another at seams; and   wherein a substantial majority of the seams are each formed by a first panel having a first edge and a second panel having a second edge abutting the first edge of the first panel at an interface, and a reinforcing strip affixed to a first internal surface of the first panel with a first thermal bond and to a second internal surface of the second panel with a second thermal bond, the reinforcing strip extending across the interface between the first panel and the second panel.   
     
     
         2 . The sport ball of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of reinforcing strips includes reinforcing strips affixed to all seams of the casing. 
     
     
         3 . The sport ball of  claim 1 , wherein the ball further includes a bladder disposed within the casing and configured to retain a pressurized gas; and
 wherein the ball includes an intermediate layer located between the casing and the bladder, the intermediate layer having an elasticity that is less than an elasticity of the casing.   
     
     
         4 . The sport ball of  claim 1 , wherein the first edge of the first panel is joined to the second edge of the second panel by at least one of welding and stitching. 
     
     
         5 . The sport ball of  claim 1 , wherein, in at least one of the seams formed with a reinforcing strip, the first edge of the first panel is unattached to the second edge of the second panel independent of the reinforcing strip. 
     
     
         6 . The sport ball of  claim 5 , wherein the first edge of the first panel has a first cross-sectional profile and the second edge of the second panel has a second cross-sectional profile, and wherein the first cross-sectional profile and the second cross-sectional profile form an indented outer surface of the casing when the first edge of the first panel is abutting the second edge of the second panel. 
     
     
         7 . The sport ball of  claim 1 , wherein the reinforcing strip includes a thermoplastic polymer material; and
 wherein the first thermal bond and the second thermal bond include thermally activated thermoplastic polymer material of the reinforcing strip.   
     
     
         8 . A sport ball comprising:
 a casing having a plurality of panels forming an external exposed surface of the sport ball;   wherein adjacent panels abut one another at seams;   wherein a substantial majority of the seams are each formed by a reinforcing strip affixed to a first internal surface of a first panel and to a second internal surface of a second panel, wherein the first panel is unattached to the second panel independent of the reinforcing strip.   
     
     
         9 . The sport ball of  claim 8 , wherein reinforcing strips includes reinforcing strips affixed to all seams of the casing. 
     
     
         10 . The sport ball of  claim 8 , wherein each seam to which a reinforcing strip is affixed, is formed at an interface between abutting edges of panels, the abutting edges of the panels having cross-sectional profiles that, together, form an indented outer surface of the casing at the interface when the panels are abutting. 
     
     
         11 . The sport ball of  claim 8 , wherein the reinforcing strip is affixed to the first internal surface of the first panel with a first thermal bond and to the second internal surface of the second panel with a second thermal bond;
 wherein the reinforcing strip includes a thermoplastic polymer material; and   wherein the first thermal bond and the second thermal bond include thermally activated thermoplastic polymer material of the reinforcing strip.   
     
     
         12 . The sport ball of  claim 8 , wherein the reinforcing strip is affixed to the first panel and to the second panel with an adhesive material. 
     
     
         13 . A method of manufacturing a sport ball comprising:
 providing a plurality of casing panels;   abutting edges of the casing panels together thereby forming a casing, the edges abutting at a plurality of panel interfaces forming seams between casing panels;   affixing a plurality of reinforcing strips to the casing at a substantial majority of the panel interfaces by applying each reinforcing strip to surfaces of adjacent casing panels such that each reinforcing strip extends across the interface between the abutting edges of the adjacent casing panels; and   orienting the casing to have a first external exposed casing surface and a second internal casing surface, the plurality of reinforcing strips being affixed to the second internal casing surface.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein forming the casing includes forming the casing with the second internal casing surface oriented facing outward so the casing is inside-out; and
 further including turning the casing right side out after affixing the plurality of reinforcing strips to the second internal casing surface.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein turning the casing right side out involves turning the casing right side out through an opening formed between a first edge of a first panel and a second edge of a second panel; and
 further including affixing a reinforcing strip to a seam formed by abutting the first edge of the first panel and the second edge of the second panel.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein turning the casing right side out involves turning the casing right side out through an opening formed between a first edge of a first panel and a second edge of a second panel; and
 further including welding the first edge of the first panel to the second edge of the second panel.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein turning the casing right side out involves turning the casing right side out through an opening formed between a first edge of a first panel and a second edge of a second panel, and further including:
 forming the first edge of the first panel to have a projection that extends outward from the first edge;   locating the projection under the second edge of the second panel; and   joining the first edge and the second edge to each other.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , further including, after forming the casing inside out, pressing a first side of the casing radially inward to form the first side of the casing to be concave, thereby forming a substantially bowl-shaped configuration. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further including placing the casing, in the bowl-shaped configuration, between a first roller and a second roller, applying compressive pressure between the first roller and the second roller, and feeding the reinforcing strips between the second roller and the second internal casing surface as the second roller rolls over the second internal casing surface to apply the reinforcing strips to the second internal casing surface. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the reinforcing strips are formed by feeding a continuous length of reinforcing strip material from a dispensing device and cutting predetermined lengths of the reinforcing strip material as the continuous length of reinforcing strip material is being applied to the second internal casing surface. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the casing is assembled by forming one seam at a time; and
 wherein the seams are formed by affixing an individual reinforcing strip to each seam.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein, at one or more seams, edges of adjacent panels are unattached to one another independent of the reinforcing strip. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the one or more seams are formed by placing the edges of adjacent casing panels between a first roller and a second roller, applying compressive pressure between the first roller and the second roller, and feeding the individual reinforcing strips between the second roller and the second internal casing surface as the second roller rolls over the second internal casing surface to apply the reinforcing strips to the second internal casing surface. 
     
     
         24 . A method of manufacturing a sport ball comprising:
 providing a plurality of casing panels;   abutting edges of the casing panels together, the edges abutting at a plurality of panel interfaces forming seams between casing panels;   joining the abutting edges of the casing panels together by at least one of welding and stitching, thereby forming a casing, wherein the casing panels are oriented such that the casing is in an inside-out configuration, having a first casing surface facing outward and being exposed and a second casing surface facing inward and being concealed;   pressing a first side of the casing radially inward to form the first side of the casing to be concave, thereby forming a substantially bowl-shaped configuration;   affixing a plurality of reinforcing strips to the first casing surface at a substantial majority of the panel interfaces by applying each reinforcing strip to a surface of adjacent casing panels such that each reinforcing strip extends across the interface between abutting edges of adjacent casing panels; and   orienting the casing to have the second casing surface exposed and the first casing surface facing radially inward and concealed, the plurality of reinforcing strips being affixed to the second internal casing surface.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , further including placing the casing, in the bowl-shaped configuration, between a first roller and a second roller, applying compressive pressure between the first roller and the second roller, and feeding the reinforcing strips between the second roller and the second internal casing surface as the second roller rolls over the second internal casing surface to apply the reinforcing strips to the second internal casing surface. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , further including forming the reinforcing strips by feeding a continuous length of reinforcing strip material from a dispensing device and cutting predetermined lengths of the reinforcing strip material as the continuous length of reinforcing strip material is being applied to the second internal casing surface. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 24 , further including inserting an intermediate layer having an elasticity that is less than an elasticity of the casing into the casing; and
 inserting a bladder configured to retain a pressurized gas into the casing within the intermediate layer.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein affixing the plurality of reinforcing strips to the casing includes applying heat to the reinforcing strips and applying pressure to the reinforcing strips against the second internal casing surface to bond the reinforcing strips to the second internal casing surface. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein applying heat is performed using a heating device to expose the reinforcing strip to at least one of radiation heating, conduction heating, and convection heating. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein applying heat includes applying heat to a first side of each reinforcing strip having a heat-activated adhesive material thereon and attaching the first side of each reinforcing strip to the second internal casing surface.